C.J. Cron was hitting .289 with 10 homers and an .861 OPS with the Tampa Bay Rays prior to Thursday’s game against the Angels. In his Angels career, he had a few hot months of that type of production, but inevitably his numbers would slide and the Angels would stop playing him every day, or even send him to the minors. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

ANAHEIM — As C.J. Cron returned to Angel Stadium, wearing a new uniform and with a set of impressive stats to his name, he had the expected answer when asked what was missing in Anaheim.

“I have to say the at-bats,” he said before starting a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Angel Stadium on Thursday. “Just being in there every day and coming to the park and knowing I’m going to be in that two hole. It allows me to make the necessary adjustments that you need at this level. I can maybe give an at-bat to work on something. When you are playing three days a week, your career hinges on that day.”

Cron was hitting .289 with 10 homers and an .861 OPS with the Rays prior to Thursday’s game. In his Angels career, he had a few hot months of that type of production, but inevitably his numbers would slide and the Angels would stop playing him every day, or even send him to the minors.

With the Angels, he hit .262 with 59 homers in 408 games. The Angels traded him to the Rays just before the first full-squad workout of the spring, because they had a logjam at first base with Shohei Ohtani pushing Albert Pujols more often from DH into the field.

The roster was heavy with right-handers, and Cron was limited to one position. He also had a career .307 on-base percentage, which the Angels felt was too low.

“I knew with the Ohtani signing there was a lot of roster malfunction there,” Cron said. “There were a few different first basemen. When (the trade) it actually does happen it is a little shock, but I was expecting it.”

Cron said he still had no hard feelings toward the organization – “They gave me the opportunity to play in the big leagues” – and he was happy to come back and see his former teammates and his family.

TROUT BACK TO NO. 2

After just two games hitting in the leadoff spot, Mike Trout was moved back into the No. 2 spot on Thursday, with Zack Cozart hitting first and Ohtani moved down to the No. 5 spot.

Manager Mike Scioscia said earlier this week he was experimenting with Trout and Ohtani in the top two spots, while they waited for Cozart or Ian Kinsler to get hot enough to go into the leadoff spot.

Cozart has hit fairly consistently at his career norms for about a month, so apparently, Scioscia decided now was the time to go back to this. He conceded that having Trout hit first is problematic because they want him to be a run-producer.

“Just trying to flip some things to get some things going,” Scioscia said. “We’ll settle back into this template as we go forward.”

ALSO

Blake Wood (elbow impingement) retired two of the four batters he faced, on 18 pitches, in a rehab outing for Class-A Inland Empire on Thursday. Wood is expected to be activated on Friday or Saturday.